Depressed Teacher-need advice.

Lockedout

I'm teaching English in a school where despite my best efforts most kids end up with Ds in Ordinary level in the LC. I spent a huge amount of time doing How many miles to Babylon for x mas exams. They had "read" the book.Well, I read it to them as they could not be trusted to do it. Watched a video of HMTB. Completed a revision book on HMTB .I told them time and time again they need to write at least ten lines for a ten mark question(minimum ) or two paragraphs but what do they do-write three line bloody answers in their exams.

I don't think my results are far removed from others.
I'm frustrated. I give homework. I put them on detention. I ring parents. No major improvements.
Their attendance varies.
I feel I need to put in more effort. Perhaps detain them more in my own time. That's complicated-I have a young baby but I feel I'm letting them down and myself.
Any ideas??

spurious

They sound like the kids I teach. 30 years ago they would not have stayed on past the Group. Their parents are unlikely to have gone past the Junior/Inter. Cert.. We can change things, but not overnight. The very fact that they are getting to a Leaving Cert. means their children are far more likely to do so too.

You can only give them the tools to get there themselves. How much more can you do? Don't beat yourself up about it - not every gets to have literate motivated students and it certainly does not mean you're a bad teacher - quite the opposite, I would argue.

fatalll

Hi,
Sounds to me like your too dedicated if anything.
If all teachers were as concerned as worked as hard as you do the education system would be far better. I know some teachers who hardly do a thing.

All you can do is your best, you have explained to them how many lines/paragraphs they need to answer with. You have read the book etc.

Maybe the students are not up to standard, also I think students nowadays are too sidetrackeed with technology etc.

Make sure you spend time with your baby, you will regret it later in life if you dont, but also do as much as you can in the time you have with the students.
You can explain how important grades are for jobs/college later in life etc.
Teach/ Explain and give some homework,.
You know if your doing all you can...for me you sound like you are.
So keep up the good work and enjoy time with your family too. :-)

chippers

Sounds like a class I have! Just do your best, that's all you can do. There is responsibility on you as a teacher and from your post it appears that you are meeting and exceeding that responsibility. The pupils also have a responsibility and if they are not meeting that responsibility then there is not much more that you can do.

implausible

Sounds like the group I have every second year. First of all, remember that you can only control what happens in school. Once they leave your classroom, you cannot guarantee that everything else that is going on in their lives isn't going to impinge on their homework, attendance and exam results. They are probably quite different to what you were like in school as a student and it can take a long time to get your head around that.

Second of all, I have to remind myself that I have two tasks - to get them through an exam AND to equip them with functional levels of literacy. To that end, expending huge amounts of one section of the course is a waste of time. I've often spent weeks and weeks on the novel only for them to forget they did it and answer on something else in the exam! What's important is to equip them with skills that mean that even if they forget (or were absent for) most of paper II, they will still know how to go about paper I or bullsh1tting an answer on poetry.

A few tactics that have worked for me in the past are: getting them to "tell me" their answers (when I know they haven't the homework done), groupwork (making out charts for the comparative for example), summaries in plain English, formulae/boxes/charts for the structure of part B questions and going over and over and over comprehension questions to figure out what the examiner is looking for and repeatedly listing off the dumbass mistakes that make people fail.

If they're anything like mine usually are, the attendance is sporadic, which means that it's the quality of what they get out of a class that matters. I doubt extra classes would do anything other than add to your own levels of frustration.

ophelia75

I feel your pain. I started off my career in a private school, ruined me to a certain extent. I felt I could really progress in my subject- English, no discipline issues etc. However, almost 20 years later through a series of moves, I find myself in a school teaching students with little interest or ability. Home life ,outside issues have taken over. It is easy to become demoralised and endlessly frustrated. However, I have to take a step back sometimes and realise that what I am doing or attempting to do is far more important than what I was doing in the private school. A D in a pass subject is worth so much more to these students and marks so much more of an achievement than an already motivated, home supported student who scores an A in a Higher level
subject. Just remember that when the going is tough. (Thing is students always up their game in the real exam anyway- too lazy to do it for us during term time!!)

Keep the faith, you are doing all you can do, it is up to them to do the rest!!

Lockedout

I want to thank you all for your responses. I think I got a bit bogged down in revising HMTB-have done other stuff as well of course. I do cut the course down-dont do all the poetry as its pointless. Just do enough so there is at least one poem they will know as .

Thanks again-it meant a lot.

Lockedout

implausible wrote: »

Sounds like the group I have every second year. First of all, remember that you can only control what happens in school. Once they leave your classroom, you cannot guarantee that everything else that is going on in their lives isn't going to impinge on their homework, attendance and exam results. They are probably quite different to what you were like in school as a student and it can take a long time to get your head around that.

Second of all, I have to remind myself that I have two tasks - to get them through an exam AND to equip them with functional levels of literacy. To that end, expending huge amounts of one section of the course is a waste of time. I've often spent weeks and weeks on the novel only for them to forget they did it and answer on something else in the exam! What's important is to equip them with skills that mean that even if they forget (or were absent for) most of paper II, they will still know how to go about paper I or bullsh1tting an answer on poetry.

A few tactics that have worked for me in the past are: getting them to "tell me" their answers (when I know they haven't the homework done), groupwork (making out charts for the comparative for example), summaries in plain English, formulae/boxes/charts for the structure of part B questions and going over and over and over comprehension questions to figure out what the examiner is looking for and repeatedly listing off the dumbass mistakes that make people fail.

If they're anything like mine usually are, the attendance is sporadic, which means that it's the quality of what they get out of a class that matters. I doubt extra classes would do anything other than add to your own levels of frustration.

Could you elaborate a bit more on what you do for Part B questions? Just a few lines. Sounds good.

implausible

Lockedout wrote: »

Could you elaborate a bit more on what you do for Part B questions? Just a few lines. Sounds good.

The most common questions are diary, letter and speech, so I focus on these three (also covers your ass for the compostition). Practise, practise, practise. Mine are usually crap for doing homework so I make them do them in class.

Diaries - the 3Fs - format (should look like a diary), fact and feelings. I've made them go over examples and/or their own work and pick out these three elements. I also give "bad samples" e.g. one that is all fact, no feeling, and get them to show me why they're bad.

Letters - I use boxes on the board and on photocopies to show them the structure of formal/informal letters. Repeat offenders have to write their letters in boxes they've drawn on their copies. I break all letters down to three paragraphs - intro, body, conclusion and give lots of sample introductions etc. Keeping it simple saves a lot of heartache.

Speeches - I drill into them that they have to imagine a context for the speech e.g. why are you talking to your class? It usually gets them thinking and means I get something readable and realistic. Again, I go with a formula of opening (intro yourself, outline purpose of speech, welcome) body (with 3 points) and an ending (thanks for listening, availability for questions/feedback). They do so many that they know the beginning and ending and only have to brainstorm the body (in theory....)

I start this in 5th year and as it's not too different from JC, it gives them a bit of confidence. Also, it's very easy to work these three into their comparative texts and poetry responses (and it comes up on the paper too).

Hope this helps.

Lockedout

It does thank you. Back to the grindstone next week!! Sick baby to boot but we will muddle through!

implausible

Lockedout wrote: »

It does thank you. Back to the grindstone next week!! Sick baby to boot but we will muddle through!

Hope your baby gets better by then. Going back from maternity leave myself. I found after having a baby that I was way more organised. Hope I'm doubly organised now on Monday!:eek: